Phobia
by xMorbidxAngelx
Summary: Rin has a phobia - can Sesshoumaru help?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

Sesshoumaru Taisho could be described by many people in many different ways, but what everyone failed to realise was that he was, in actual fact, a man of very simple tastes. Everyone assumed that because he came from a wealthy family, he would expect the highest quality in everything around him and that his working and social standards were just as high, but this was truly very far from the truth. Sesshoumaru was a content man and enjoyed the simple lifestyle he had adopted since leaving the family home after graduating from university three years previously. Now, at the age of 27, he lived a quiet life as a psychiatrist which suited him just fine.

However, while there was not a lot of truth to the rumours that spread about him and his character, there was a small amount of truth that even he couldn't deny. He was not a patient man by any stretch of the imagination, nor was he known for the good natured and sometimes humorous manner that some people in the medical profession adopted. In fact, he did not have the biggest clientele but he suspected that most of the people who came to him for help came because he was from the aforementioned wealthy family and not because of his reputation that he had been painstakingly building since he started work. Despite what some people thought, the lack of clientele didn't bother Sesshoumaru that much. Instead, he found himself able to devote more of his time to the people that visited him on a regular basis which pleased him since it meant that he didn't have to deal with too many people. In hindsight, he could only wonder what had made him choose to be a psychiatrist when he didn't really enjoy the company of many people.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was rare for Sesshoumaru to get new patients and it was even rarer for them to have been passed along to him by his more prestigious colleagues. As he sat behind his enormous mahogany desk, Sesshoumaru frowned as he looked through the files that his secretary had handed him when he had arrived that morning. Having had meetings with patients most of the morning, he only now had the chance to glance through the files on his new patients who he would be meeting in a matter of minutes. It irked him that his colleagues had passed the poor people on from one psychiatrist to another before finally sending them to him. He considered that to be highly unprofessional and was going to take the chance to show his judgemental colleagues how the job was done. Pushing aside the thoughts, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and picked up the folders he had been looking at as he made his way over to the seating area he used when meeting patients that sat on the other side of his office. Just as he had settled into his usual chair, Sesshoumaru's eyes rose as his door opened and his secretary stepped through the door with an unsure smile pasted on her face.

"Your new clients have arrived, sir," she said, her gaze fixed at the group that stood just outside the door.

Nodding his thanks, Sesshoumaru sat up straight in his chair and waited patiently for the first of the small group to come into the room. The first person to enter the room was a plump woman who was talking excitedly as though finishing a conversation with someone. She grinned at him before sitting in the chair closest to him before turning to the man sitting beside her who was almost as tall as Sesshoumaru and seemed slightly uncomfortable with the woman's attention. Shaking his head at their antics, Sesshoumaru looked down at the list that sat on the table beside him and saw that they were only missing one other person from the little group. About to get to his feet to inquire about the whereabouts of the remaining person, his actions were halted when the door opened and a slim woman slipped through the door, her head bowed and made for the nearest seat which was directly opposite Sesshoumaru. Shrugging slightly, he cleared his throat and watched as the trio of faces turned to him expectantly.

"I'm Sesshoumaru Taisho," he said quietly in a deep voice. "As we have just met, I'll be talking to each of you individually to discuss why you're here."

Without another word, Sesshoumaru picked up the first folder and found that it belonged to the only other man present in the room who came across the room hastily as though trying to escape the loud chattering of the woman who sat beside him. Soon enough the man was on his way out the door after a brief conversation with Sesshoumaru who was now trying to deal with the talkative woman as she seemed to be bent on ignoring everything he said. After half an hour of trying very hard to not lose patience with the woman, who he now knew was called Hitomi, Sesshoumaru finally managed to get her to leave, sighing to himself as he watched her walk towards the door. He frowned slightly as he watched as Hitomi stopped beside the woman who had waited patiently for Sesshoumaru to call her name. The unknown woman looked up as Hitomi approached and a look of uncertainty crossed her face briefly before she masked it behind the calm façade she had kept in place throughout the afternoon. Hitomi leaned down and wrapped her arms around the woman's shoulders in a tight embrace, not noticing the way the woman stiffened or how her fingers clutched the arm rests of her chair until her knuckles were white. Sesshoumaru waited patiently for Hitomi to leave before calling the seated woman closer.

"Miss Rin Abe?" he asked politely as he rose to greet her and extend a hand towards her as he had done with the other people he had met that day.

"Yes."

The woman's voice was soft and so quiet it was almost a whisper, but it was like velvet and sent a shiver down Sesshoumaru's spine as she spoke. He watched as Rin's gaze fell from his face to the hand he had extended towards her and saw yet more uncertainty pass through her eyes. Looking closer, Sesshoumaru saw her fingers twitch slightly as though itching for her to lift her hand to shake his, but then her hands clenched and she looked away, a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her gaze cast towards the floor.

"Not to worry," Sesshoumaru replied, unfazed by her behaviour. "Please take a seat."

Rin had caught his attention the moment she looked away; seemingly reluctant to shake his hand and now his curiosity was piqued as he watched her pull her chair back slightly so that the distance between them increased. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over the seating arrangements and then after pulling her chair back a little further, Rin finally sat down, her hands clenched on her lap as she waited for him to say something. Deciding to push his curiosity away in favour of being professional, Sesshoumaru picked up his usual notebook and pencil and turned his full attention to the woman sitting in front of him.

"Generalized anxiety disorder?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking at her open file which sat on the table beside him, his eyes narrowed.

Rin shrugged. "Apparently so."

"You have only recently been diagnosed with it so there is no need for you to be here. You should have been given medication by your doctor."

For a moment there was silence between them as Sesshoumaru watched Rin carefully and waited for her response. She seemed to be at a loss for words and knowing better than to push for a response she may not be ready to give, he decided to look her over instead and almost immediately regretted it. Her eyes were almond shaped and framed by thick lashes that cast long shadows over her cheeks as she closed her eyes briefly, only to open them after a moment to reveal very expressive eyes that held a glint of steely determination beneath the swirling emotions. Long dark hair hung was held off her neck by a ribbon and several strands escaped to frame her face and brush against the collar of her shirt. Her skin was very pale and there were dark circles under her eyes that even her make up couldn't hide but instead heightened the air of vulnerability that surrounded her and her plump crimson lips brought his attention down to her suggestive mouth. For a moment, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, trying to go back to being impartial but found it impossible as her face appeared in his mind's eyes while the sinful part of his mind told him to open his eyes and look some more.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and found himself unable to keep himself from trailing his gaze up her slim legs, clad in black stockings, to the hem of her skirt that sat just above her knees. Rin Abe was a petit woman, but there was nothing demure about her, although he doubted whether she knew that she radiated sex appeal and that with her looks and grace, she could turn heads without even trying. She had certainly managed to catch his eye and that was a feat in itself since not many women could accomplish that. After trying and failing to bring his attention back to the conversation they had been having, Sesshoumaru gave up trying to fight with his desire to continue his visual exploration of his new client. Following her round hips that he was sure gave her a perfect hourglass figure, his amber eyes trailed up the curve of her waist and stopped briefly at the generous heave of her breasts that rose and fell gently beneath the pale blue blouse she wore. All in all, he had to conclude that she was a beauty.

"They tried to give me medication," Rin said, bringing Sesshoumaru's attention back to the matter at hand immediately. "But they had to touch me and I didn't want them to."

"Didn't want them to touch you?" Sesshoumaru repeated in confusion. "Why not?"

"I don't like it."

"You don't like doctors touching you?"

"I don't like anyone touching me."

"I see."

Sesshoumaru sat back in his chair and looked at Rin speculatively for a moment as he thought over everything he had heard and how she had refused to shake his hand. It made sense and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before now. Standing up, he smirked slightly as Rin shrank back in her seat slightly and eyed him warily as he walked past her to the book case that stood against the wall, heaving under the weight of all the books that had piled up on it as time passed. He stood there for a moment, amber eyes running over the titles before he picked up the book he wanted and made his way back to his seat. Rin watched curiously after he was seated a safe distance from her.

"Aphephobia," Sesshoumaru said after flipping through the pages to the one he wanted. "That is what you are suffering from."

"What's that?" Rin asked, frowning slightly at the thought of having a phobia.

"Aphephobia, also known as Chiraptophobia, Thixophobia or Haphehobia, is the fear of being touched by another. Symptoms include: heart palpitations, breathlessness, nausea, inability to think or speak clearly or anxiety attacks." Sesshoumaru lowered the book slightly and looked at Rin over the top of it, surprised to see no shock on her face. "Do any of those apply to you?"

"A couple of them do," Rin replied calmly.

"I think that your anxiety is probably caused by your phobia," Sesshoumaru said as he shut the book and put it on the arm of his chair. "If you can overcome your phobia, then your anxiety should also lessen."

Rin sighed and sank down in her chair, closing her eyes as she tried to digest the information given to her. She slowly opened her eyes again and lifted a hand to brush her hair away from her eyes as she looked up at Sesshoumaru who was watching her with that piercing amber gaze that made her feel as though he could see into her very soul. His diagnosis was right and she knew it. She had done some research herself and had come to the same conclusion, but she had ignored it and instead hoped that it was just a phase she was going through that would soon pass. Unfortunately, Rin knew that it definitely wasn't just a phase since she had had the phobia since she was a child and if it hadn't gone by the time she reached her current age of 24, she doubted that it would disappear on its own. Now here she sat in a psychiatrist's office, a very handsome psychiatrist, but how good looking the man was didn't take away the fact that if she couldn't overcome her phobia, then she would have to deal with it for the rest of her life.

The quiet sigh from the woman sitting opposite him brought Sesshoumaru's attention back to Rin and he watched her carefully as the information sunk in. He felt something akin to pity as he watched her obvious struggle with conflicting emotions. Normally it didn't phase him when he had to tell someone what was wrong with them, that was his job after all, but there was something about this woman that made him pity her in her current situation. Aphephobia was one of the more extreme phobias that some people suffered from and she was the first person he had encountered who suffered from it although he had read several case studies on the topic while studying. Rin seemed very vulnerable and on edge all the time, but he supposed that that came with living with the constant fear of being touched by someone. The dark circles he had seen under her eyes earlier indicated a lack of sleep that was probably caused by anxiety. Sesshoumaru wasn't entirely sure how to proceed with this case, but he knew that it wouldn't be fair to leave her to suffer as she clearly was. Sighing to himself, he looked at her carefully for a moment. He had noticed before that she was a beauty, but he knew that she was no different from the other women who had come to him for help. Pretty but with problems he had no desire to delve into any deeper than strictly necessary.

"What happens now?" Rin asked, arching an eyebrow at Sesshoumaru's thoughtful expression.

"Therapy usually," Sesshoumaru replied and frowned as he looked over the short list of suggested therapies in the book he had closed. After a moment he closed the book again with a snap and looked at Rin's slightly surprised expression. "I'm afraid this is going to be a learning curve for us both. This is the first time I have met someone who suffers from aphephobia. As far as I know, it's not one of the more common phobias."

"I see."

Rin bit her lip as she watched Sesshoumaru's long fingers wrap around his pencil as he wrote something down in his notebook. She didn't really like the idea of being treated by someone who wasn't sure of what to do, but as she considered the situation, she knew that she had no other alternative. Sighing she pushed herself to her feet and stood behind her chair, looking at the seated man carefully.

"Very well. I'll just have to trust you to do what you think best."

Sesshoumarualmost grinned when he heard her words. He knew that she was trying to stop herself from just turning tail and running away to deal with her problems by herself, but he was glad that she decided to trust him. It would be a good experience for him and would help her so much if his ideas succeeded. Getting to his feet, Sesshoumaru followed Rin to the door and leaned forward to open it for her, smirking to himself as he watched her step back hastily to avoid contact.

"You can arrange another meeting with my secretary," Sesshoumaru suggested as Rin stepped out the door and put some distance between them.

"Thank you."

Without another word, Rin turned and walked away, eager to get back to work where she knew she didn't have to worry about people accidentally touching her. Sesshoumaru watched as she walked away and realised that he had been right about her hourglass figure. Glancing out the window at the crowded street below, he wondered how she planned to get out of the building without colliding with someone. It seemed impossible, but as he watched her, he realised she had somehow perfected the art of avoiding people. Shaking his head, he turned and went back into his office. This was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

Rin sighed as she looked up at the building she stood in front of. She didn't really want to go inside, but she knew that what lay inside that building was infinitely better than what was outside. Glancing down at her watch, she noted that the streets would soon be quite crowded since everyone would be leaving work as it was the end of the day. Looking up the street, she could already see a crowd of people forming a queue outside the train station, eager to get home after a hard day's work. As she sighed to herself, Rin looked up at the building again and felt rush of pity for the people within in. They had to work longer hours to cater for the people like herself who couldn't make appointments at any other time during the day. Frowning slightly, she briefly wondered what time her psychiatrist started and finished work before wrinkling her nose slightly at the idea of referring to him as 'her psychiatrist.' The whole idea still didn't sit well with her, but as the saying went, she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and in this case her gift was definitely the fact that Sesshoumaru Taisho was willing to take the time to help her.

The number of people walking down the street was steadily increasing just as she predicted and Rin took a deep breath before walking up the few steps and pushing open the heavy door to the building she had spent the past few minutes staring at. The secretary she had met the week before looked up and smiled at Rin as she walked towards her desk, biting her lip nervously. There was silence for a moment while the seated woman typed something into her computer and then smiled at Rin again.

"You're here for your appointment, Miss Abe?" she asked politely.

"Y-Yes," Rin replied, stunned that the woman remembered her name.

"Please take a seat."

The woman gestured to the seats that sat around the edge of the room and Rin looked around briefly before finding one in the corner of the room. Once comfortably seated, Rin took the chance to examine her surroundings. The number of people sitting across the room from her surprised her, but she soon realised that this building was shared by two psychiatrists and not just her own as she had originally thought. As she looked at the people around the room, she had started to wonder which psychiatrist they were waiting to see when the large clock started to chime and Rin looked at it, surprised when it showed that it was already 6pm and she had been sitting here for half an hour. Sighing to herself, she looked down at her hands with a slight frown as she prayed that whatever therapy she was going to have to face would help her. Every meeting she attended that wasn't related to her work had to be held after her working hours because of her inflexible employer who clearly didn't care much for her well being and couldn't spare her for just an hour in the day. Rin glanced out the large glass doors at all the people walking hastily towards their destinations, not caring about who they bumped into in the process and she flinched slightly at the thought of having to make her way through all those people. She always arrived early for meetings to avoid the rush of people and now was no exception, but she was getting heartily sick of waiting all the time. At one time she had been patient, but after spending so much of her life waiting for a peaceful time to walk down the street, she found her patience wearing thin.

The sound of a door opening and a cheerful voice caught Rin's attention and she looked towards the source from the corner of her eye, not turning her head away from the sight of all the people in the street. Her hands clenched in her lap as she recognised the cheerful voice as coming from the very woman who had hugged her when she had first come here. Panic raced through Rin for a moment as she wondered if the woman would try it again and she bit her lip until she could taste blood in her mouth, closing her eyes as though not being able to see the woman would make the problem go away. The sound of a door closing caused her to crack an eye open just in time to see the woman disappearing into the crowds and she sighed in relief.

"Miss Abe?" a voice called and Rin looked around hastily to see who was calling her.

The voice had come from Sesshoumaru Taisho who was leaning against his door frame and watching her with a slight smirk on his face. When their eyes met, Rin got to her feet as he beckoned her over and disappeared into his office, waiting for her to follow. After narrowly avoiding a collision with a man who wasn't looking where he was going, Rin sighed as she stepped through the door. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, but closed the door behind her and gestured for her to take a seat as he made his way to his own chair behind his desk.

"I was wondering if you were going to come back or run away," Sesshoumaru said casually as he opened her file and pulled pencil and notebook towards him.

"Uh, I-I've had t-to work overtime t-this week," Rin stuttered in reply, looking down at her hands.

"I see. What do you do for…" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked up at her. "Miss Abe, are you aware that your lip is bleeding?"

Rin stared at Sesshoumaru for a moment, not comprehending his words before remembering that she had bitten her lip a bit too forcefully while she had been sitting outside. Blushing slightly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a tissue, dabbing her lip hastily.

"S-Sorry about that," Rin murmured with a blush.

Sesshoumaru coughed, not sure what to think about the woman. "Uh, I was going to ask what you do for a living."

"Interior design."

"I see."

They sat in silence for a moment as Sesshoumaru read through something in the book in front of him. Not knowing what to say, Rin watched quietly until he seemed to sigh to himself and push the book aside before clasping his hand on the desk in front of him and looking at her seriously.

"As I said last time we met, I've never treated anyone with aphephobia before so I'm going to by the book," Sesshoumaru said, nodding towards the book he had pushed aside. "However, if I feel that the methods in the book aren't satisfactory, I will find an alternative method to help you. Unless I have full commitment from you, there is no point in continuing. Are you certain that you want to go through with this?"

"I have no choice. I have to go through with it."

"Of course you have a choice."

Rin frowned at him slightly and sighed as she looked out the window. "When you know what it's like to leave home every morning an hour early and leave work an hour late to miss the crowds then you can tell me I have a choice." She turned her gaze back to him and he noted the steely determination he had seen before shining brightly. "I have no social life, no relationships of any kind. I even avoid the people who still call themselves my friends. I'm the source of all the office gossip and I'm almost certain that most of my colleagues go out of their way to find a way to touch me just to see the reaction. I'm tired of this. I have no choice but to accept whatever therapy you choose to throw at me. You have my full commitment."

Shrugging slightly, Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair and considered her words. He hadn't thought she had been that badly affected by her phobia, but he supposed that in light of what her phobia was, it would be hard to not let it affect the way you live your life. Leaning forward again, he pulled his notebook towards him and opened it to a fresh page. Rin watched his hand move quickly and elegantly across the top of the page, leaving her name written neatly in the centre of the page and underlined twice. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Perhaps if she were to flick through the used pages of that same notebook she would find other people's names written he same way?

"How long have you had this phobia?" Sesshoumaru asked, ignoring her previous outburst and looking at her closely.

Rin blinked in surprise and looked thoughtful for a moment. "As long as I can remember; I can't remember a time I didn't worry about people touching me."

"Your family can't shed any light on when this began?"

"I don't remember them." Rin almost sighed when Sesshoumaru tilted his head to one side slightly and gave her a curious look. "They're all dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Rin waved her hand dismissively as though she was used to that sort of reaction and Sesshoumaru silently breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't called up bad memories. Still, it amazed him that she could just say that so bluntly and without feeling. Most people he'd spoken to who'd lost only one parent or perhaps a sibling would virtually burst into tears whenever they were mentioned, but here sat a woman with no family and she didn't seem to be upset about it in the least. She was either a very strong woman or she was heartless and Sesshoumaru found himself hoping it was the former rather than the latter. Pushing aside his thoughts, Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and looked seriously at Rin for a moment, his pencil twirling around his long fingers.

"There are several theories about why people suffer from aphephobia," he started and looked out the window awkwardly.

"There are?"

"Some people feel objectified when others touch them and others were simply brought up in an environment where there was little physical affection shown towards them. However, there is another theory that people who suffer from this phobia were abused either physically or sexually."

"I see."

"I need to establish if any of those were the cause and from there we can work on how to treat it."

Long fingers picked up the pencil he had put aside and started writing something in the ever present notebook. Rin raised an eyebrow as she watched him write the three causes he had told her about against the margin of the page and then look up at her. A brief glance into his amber eyes told her that he was slightly unsure how to go about discussing this and she pitied him somewhat. The certificates that hung in neat frames on the wall showed that he had the skills to make it as a psychiatrist. Everything about him and his surroundings showed professionalism, but it was glaringly obvious to her that something was lacking. Rin wondered briefly if anyone else had noticed this and quickly decided that most people who came here had more pressing matters to deal with than to contemplate what their psychiatrist was lacking. She resisted the urge to smirk when she finally realised that he lacked the warmth and friendliness that most people in the medical profession seemed to radiate without noticing, not to mention there were no smiles of encouragement or greeting. In fact, there were no smiles at all, just an expressionless face that made her wonder why he had chosen this line of work when he seemed so ill at ease.

"Do you feel objectified when people touch you?" Sesshoumaru asked, bringing her from her thoughts.

"No," Rin answered instantly, knowing that was not the cause.

Sesshoumaru smirked slightly at the immediate response. "What about physical interaction when you were a child?"

"I don't remember anything before my parents died."

"We'll have to look into that. What about abuse?"

"None."

"Since you seem to be very certain on two of those answers, that leaves us with only one lead to follow."

"How do we do that? I don't remember anything."

"It might be something after the death of your parents, but we'll look into it in greater detail when you come back next."

Taking the hint that the session was over, Rin got to her feet and picked up her bag and coat before looking up at Sesshoumaru who stood opposite her. She marvelled at how tall he was for a moment before stepping back and smiling slightly. He nodded politely in return and walked to the door with her, opening it for her and walking out to the secretary's desk with her. The woman smiled at her employer and his client when they stopped at the desk and gave them a questioning look. Sesshoumaru leaned against the table and looked at Rin thoughtfully.

"Please ensure that all of Miss Abe's future appointments are the last of the day," he said finally, looking at his surprised secretary.

"Yes, sir."

"Why?" Rin asked as they moved away from the desk.

"There will be less people around at that time of day."

"Thank you."

Rin smiled gratefully at him and pulled her coat shut, graceful finger moving easily over the row of small buttons. Once done, she waved slightly at the tall man beside her and made her way towards the door, pausing briefly to ensure a quick exit without touching anyone. Sesshoumaru watched her quickly walk down the steps and walk away out of view. Initially he had intended to help her overcome her phobia without delving too deeply into her past, but now that he knew that he had no choice but to hear her life story, he wondered how everything would turn out. The little he had learnt about her today had piqued his curiosity and a part of him was eager to hear more of her story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

Sesshoumaru looked at his watch and sighed as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to quell the pounding in his head. He rarely suffered from headaches, but when he did they were usually very difficult to ignore and more often than not migraines. Lifting a hand to rub his temples, he consoled himself with the fact that there was only one more person left to see before he could retire to the peace and quiet of his apartment. A knock at his door caused him to look up and he saw his secretary look past his door.

"I'll be off for today," she said with a smile and a brief wave.

"Thank you, Kimiko."

The door closed quietly and Sesshoumaru got to his feet slowly, frowning as the room spun slightly with the movement. Deciding that he would not be able to concentrate on his last patient if he didn't do something about his aching head, he left his office and went in search of the box of tablets he knew Kimiko kept somewhere on her desk. Sighing in relief when he finally found them, Sesshoumaru sank down onto his secretary's chair and waited for the medication to kick in. After a few minutes, he began to feel slightly better and was just getting up to go back into his office when he heard a commotion outside. Curious, he walked towards the large glass doors of the building to look out at what all the noise was about.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Rin leaning against the low wall that ran along the edge of the pavement. She looked pale, but other than that there was nothing wrong with her. Then a movement caught his eye and Sesshoumaru saw a woman walking towards Rin with a smile on her face, but he could tell that it wasn't a genuine smile. It was clearly forced and there was a flash of maliciousness in her eyes that made him frown. She was speaking directly to Rin and she inched closer and closer until Rin looked ready to scale the wall and run as far away as possible. Sesshoumaru stepped out the door to hear what was being said and was just in time to catch the woman berating Rin for not congratulating her on her pregnancy. He frowned. Surely this was a going a bit too far over just that?

Before he could make sense of the situation, the unknown woman had wrapped her arms around Rin and held her tightly. Rin had looked disturbed by the situation earlier, but she was obvious terrified now as the woman trapped her in place. Sesshoumaru's frown deepened as Rin's hands started to tremble violently and she started to hyperventilate and decided that this situation was clearly not going to resolve itself.

"I believe I could have you arrested for harassment," Sesshoumaru said calmly as he walked down the steps to the two women.

Rin looked ready to pass out, but her eyes widened when they landed on Sesshoumaru emerging from the building. He didn't look any different to the way he did every other time she had seen him, but there was a look in his eyes that she couldn't place. He approached the pair and laid a hand on the woman's shoulder, pulling her backwards slightly. She frowned at him and crossed her arms, fixing him with what she thought was a fierce scowl. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the woman and gestured for Rin to go into the building.

"She's a stranger," the unknown woman claimed haughtily. "Why would you help a stranger?"

"She's my client and you are harassing her."

The woman glared at him and then sent a quick glare at Rin as well before muttering something and walking away. Shaking his head at the woman's behaviour, Sesshoumaru turned around and started up the steps towards the building. Rin stood beside the door, still trembling violently as she watched him approach. She closed her eyes as though expecting him to touch her as well, but opened them slowly when she only heard the door beside her open. Sesshoumaru held the door open for her and waited patiently for her to walk through before ushering her into his office without a word. Once she was seated, she somehow managed to calm herself down and when she felt that she was clam enough, Rin gave Sesshoumaru a vague smile which he acknowledged with a nod.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking down with a slight blush on her face.

"You're alright?" Rin nodded. "Good. We can postpone today's session if it's easier for you."

"No, it's alright. I'm here anyway so we may as well carry on," Rin replied with a lopsided smile as she struggled to get her heart rate back to normal.

Sensing that she didn't want to talk about the incident, Sesshoumaru let it lie and proceeded to look for his notebook as he thought over what he had just witnessed. Although Rin had mentioned that she suspected that people at work tried to touch her to see her reaction, he had thought that she was perhaps imagining things, but now he was beginning to understand that maybe she was right. No doubt she would tell all when she felt ready to do so. At any rate, finding the cause of her phobia and dealing with that was the top priority at the moment. The sooner they sorted out her problem, the sooner she could start to live a normal life.

"We were discussing your family last week," Sesshoumaru murmured as he flipped through the pages in his notebook until he found the one with Rin's name written across the top. "You want to continue?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I suppose the starting point should be how your parents died."

"A car crash apparently," Rin replied immediately, once again not showing much emotion.

"You were not with them?"

"I was at school."

"Who was in the car?"

"My mother, father and brother."

Sesshoumaru nodded and carefully wrote down everything she said in his own version of shorthand. He almost smirked when he saw Rin frown at what he wrote, clearly not understanding any of it. He put his pencil down and looked at her for a moment; she seemed fine after the earlier incident. Perhaps she had learnt how to deal with those situations?

"What happened to you after this?"

"I was sent to an orphanage."

A thought came to Sesshoumaru's mind and he frowned slightly as he underlined the theory about little physical contact. It was possible that that was the root cause if she had been in one of the more poorly managed orphanages.

"What was it like?"

Rin shrugged. "I never liked it. I couldn't wait to grow up and get out of there," she remembered with a vague smile. "I always felt like I was intruding, you know? Like I was more of a burden than anything else."

Sesshoumaru put his pencil down and smirked at her. "I believe that we have just found the source of your problem."

"What's that?"

"After the death of your parents, you got very little physical attention from anyone so you became accustomed to not having it and it's resulted in your current phobia."

"You make it sound as though the people who cared for us were heartless. They would give attention to people that wanted it."

"You didn't want any then?"

"Why would a child seek attention from a stranger?"

"Fair point, but didn't you want any comfort at all?"

"I prefer to deal with things on my own. Always have done and I still do."

"And yet you're sitting in a psychiatrist's office?" Sesshoumaru smirked at her.

Rin smiled and shrugged. "There are some things that I can't solve on my own no matter how hard I try."

"Perhaps you just became unaccustomed to being touched by others if you didn't seek any physical contact with anyone during your childhood."

"If that were so would I end up being the way I am now?"

Rin looked expectantly at Sesshoumaru and he looked her in the eyes for a moment before leaning back in his chair. Lifting his eyes to the ceiling, Sesshoumaru pondered Rin's question and then returned his gaze to her face, smirking at her curious expression.

"It could just be that when someone eventually did attempt physical contact, you didn't know how to react because you had distanced yourself from people for so long. As a result, you panicked and acted the way you do now. Somewhere along the line you must've convinced yourself that you were scared of people touching you when you simply haven't learnt how to respond."

"So what happens now?"

"We'll look at the ways you react and why. Then we'll teach you how to react and hopefully that should solve the problem."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Rin's visits to Sesshoumaru increased from once a week to twice and she found herself enjoying the visits, almost looking forward to them. It had been a long time since she had found someone who knew about her problem who didn't immediately push her away and label her strange, but when she looked at the situation carefully, she always realised that Sesshoumaru was only doing his job. There was nothing to stop him thinking she was strange when she wasn't around, but somehow she always hoped that he didn't. A fool's hope maybe? She still avoided contact with people, not quite ready to allow physical contact until Sesshoumaru decided she would be able to deal with it. Rin found herself meeting her friends more often and slowly even managed to befriend Sesshoumaru's secretary, Kimiko.

"We're making good progress," Sesshoumaru said with a encouraging nod a couple of weeks after their first meeting.

"Really?"

"Indeed. I think we'll try something different today."

Sesshoumaru didn't wait to hear Rin's question, knowing what she was going to ask and instead got to his feet. He walked around his desk, noting that Rin still shied away as he walked past her, and then beckoned her over to the seating area where they had sat when they first met. Rin obediently sat where he pointed and watched as he disappeared out of his office only to return moments later with Kimiko in tow. As they approached, realisation of what Sesshoumaru had in mind dawned on Rin and she sprang up from her seat.

"Oh no," she exclaimed, backing away from the pair and putting a chair between them. "Not that."

"You need to do it sometime," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug, gesturing for the slightly bemused Kimiko to sit beside the chair Rin had just vacated. "Now is as good a time as any considering the progress you've made."

"But…" Rin tried to find reasons to prove him wrong and started backing away again when Kimiko approached the chair.

"You know Kimiko, she's not a stranger."

"What's going on here?" the bemused secretary asked, looking one person to the other.

"Miss Abe here has developed an unusual reaction people touching her and we're trying to help her get rid of her bad reactions."

"Oh…"

"I don't think this is a very good idea," Rin said hesitantly.

Rin clutched the back of the chair she stood behind and frowned slightly. She knew she had made progress in understanding how she was supposed to react when touched, but she truly didn't feel ready to actually touch someone. The thought of doing so didn't sit well with her and even though it was Kimiko, she still didn't want to do it. Rin wasn't entirely comfortable with the woman anyway. She may have let her guard down slightly and befriended her, but if she was going to touch someone, it had to be someone she trusted to be able to deal with what may happen if she reacted badly again.

"Kimiko, we'll try this another day," Sesshoumaru suggested after a moment of silence.

"Yes sir."

Sesshoumaru watched as his secretary left the room and then his eyes fell on Rin. She had relaxed slightly, but her hands still clutched the back of the chair tight enough to turn her knuckles white. He gestured for her to sit down and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees when she sat down.

"You don't trust Kimiko enough?" he asked, eyeing her carefully as she shook her head.

"I don't know if I'm ready to touch someone."

"You are; don't doubt yourself."

"What happens if I react badly? What if despite everything we've talked about, nothing's changed?" Rin murmured more to herself than to Sesshoumaru.

"Don't over think it."

"But…"

"You won't know until you try."

Slowly, Rin lowered her head and stared at her hands, thoughts swirling through her mind as she tried to make sense of how she felt. She wanted to progress further, but her fear that nothing had changed held her back. If she failed she would feel as though she had wasted Sesshoumaru's time and effort, not to mention the fact that she would be disappointed in herself. It was exactly as he said though, she only had to try and see what happened. Taking a deep breath, Rin looked up into the amber eyes that were looking at her, patiently waiting for her decision.

"I'll try."

The tiniest of smiles crossed Sesshoumaru's lips before it was gone and Rin caught her breath at the sight. Hastily, she shook away the thoughts of how handsome he was that immediately sprang to mind. Now was not the time to let her thoughts wonder when this was potentially a life changing moment. Rin's eyes widened as she watched Sesshoumaru slip into the seat beside her and she started to back away.

"W-What about K-Kimiko?" she stuttered in fright.

"You said yourself that you don't trust her enough."

"I… but…"

"The question is," Sesshoumaru paused to look at her through narrowed eyes. "Do you trust me enough?"

Sesshoumaru waited patiently for her reply again and he could almost see the wheels in her mind turning as she tried to arrive at a decision. She was obviously torn between wanting to see what happened and fear that she didn't get the result she wanted. Part of him was hoping that she trusted him enough, but another part of him wondered why he should care if she didn't want to share this moment with him. He knew exactly why he wanted to be part of this and since she had recently won his affections somehow, the reason was so obvious that even a blind man would've seen it. As Sesshoumaru watched Rin struggle with her choice, he began to wonder how she could've wormed her way into his heart without him noticing. Perhaps it was the day he had seen her outside his building and had realised just how badly this fear was affecting her life? Or maybe it was sometime after that when he began to look forward to the meetings they had together at the end of the day? He couldn't pin point the moment it happened, but he knew now that she was a special person and he would definitely help her get her life back on track again even if it meant never seeing her again.

"I do."

"I'm sorry?" Sesshoumaru stared at her for a moment, not remembering the question he had asked only moments before.

"I do trust you."

Joy coursed through his veins and Sesshoumaru struggled to contain his grin at her words, settling instead for a curt nod as he turned in his seat to look at her directly.

"Are sure?"

"Positive." Rin bit her lip nervously for a moment. "What do I do?"

"Something simple. Just touch my hand."

Rin's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she watched him lean forward slightly and hold his hand out. Her brown eyes were fixed on the large hand that was waiting for her touch and she felt her breath catch in her throat as she realised the enormity of what she was about to do. She could feel her heart rate increase and knew that if she didn't take control of the situation now, it wouldn't end the way she wanted it to.

Sesshoumaru watched her carefully, ready to put a stop to the test at any moment, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw determination in her eyes for a moment before it was replaced by uncertainty. He was even more surprised when one delicate hand rose from where it had been clutching the arm of the chair. The hand started to shake slightly as it hovered a couple of inches above his own and Sesshoumaru started to wonder if maybe it was best to leave it there and try again another time.

"No," Rin said suddenly. "We're not stopping now."

"As you wish," he replied, slightly stunned by how she seemed to be able to know what he had been about to suggest.

Rin frowned slightly and bit her lip as she always did when nervous. She stared at the hand below hers and took in the little details she could see. The tiny scar across the tip of the index finger, the calluses just below his fingers and the few veins that she could see just beneath the surface of the skin. Rin nearly jumped when his fingers twitched slightly but relaxed as she fixed her gaze on them, taking in how long and slender they were. A pianist's fingers were supposed to be just like this, someone had once told her. Pushing thoughts of pianos from her mind, Rin gathered her courage and slowly began to lower her hand, stopping only centimetres above Sesshoumaru's hand. Closing her eyes tightly, she lowered it that last little bit until she felt smooth, warm flesh beneath her palm.

"Relax," Sesshoumaru instructed quietly.

He was surprised when he felt the tension leave her hand almost as soon as he had asked her to relax. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her only to find that her eyes were still closed. Shaking his head slightly, he waited for a moment to see if she was going to open them.

"Open your eyes."

Rin slowly opened her eyes and when they landed on their hands, she felt overwhelmed by how far she had come thanks to this man. She had actually touched someone willingly and wasn't hyperventilating like she normally did. It amazed her. Shocked brown eyes slowly rose to meet the amber ones that were regarding her with mild amusement. She tried to form words, but found a lump forming in her throat.

"Well done," Sesshoumaru said quietly, nodding approvingly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Sesshoumaru had been proud of Rin when she had finally put her hand in his and he couldn't describe how happy he was that his idea had worked. It had been a surprise to say the least. In the following meetings, they had tried to progress slowly and he was pleased that they had progressed to the stage where they could now shake hands before and after nearly every meeting. She still had her moments when she felt her nervousness come back, but it was obvious that she was finding it easier to deal with that when it happened. He had been slightly irked when Rin had eventually gotten round to shaking Kimiko's hand as they had planned all those days ago. Kimiko had been overjoyed by the quiet woman's progress and Sesshoumaru had felt almost disappointed that he couldn't keep her touches to himself. Her skin was like satin and her hand fitted perfectly into his. It was so sickeningly cliché that he almost wanted to gag at how it all sounded like something out of a child's fairy tale, but he supposed that what he felt towards her didn't matter as long as she was still making progress.

She had made so much progress, in fact, that a couple of weeks after her break through, Sesshoumaru decided that Rin was ready to progress to the next step. It was fine to have conquered the brief touches that were considered social niceties, but Rin still had to learn how to behave around friends. One didn't shake hands with a friend they've known since childhood and even Sesshoumaru who had limited knowledge of social interaction knew this. It was this new type of contact that Rin now needed to master that prompted Sesshoumaru to make the decision that he had no idea would have such an unexpected outcome.

Rin had received a phone call at work from Kimiko the day before her usual meeting only to be informed that it was cancelled and that she needed to keep next weekend free. Having done as she was asked, Rin came to the office as she usually did for a meeting the very next weekend after receiving the call from Kimiko only to find the place deserted. There was no one inside the building and as she leaned against the wall outside it, she wondered what to do.

"Ah, you're here," Sesshoumaru's voiced drifted towards her over the dull noises that surrounded them. "I was wondering when you would arrive."

Looking up, Rin saw Sesshoumaru standing beside a car that had appeared on the road in front of the building. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, trying to place what was different about him today. Her narrowed eyes widened when she realised that he wasn't wearing his usual suit and was instead wearing black jeans and dark blue shirt. Dropping her gaze quickly, she looked down at her own knee length white skirt and pale yellow shirt and suddenly felt a bit over dressed.

"What's happening?" Rin asked as Sesshoumaru walked towards her.

"Get in the car."

"Why?"

"We're going to try a new level of physical contact today."

Rin paled slightly and then blushed bright red. "W-What?"

"You'll see when we get there."

The pair were silent as Sesshoumaru drove them through a maze of streets to a part of town Rin had never been to. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her slender legs were bare beneath the skirt she wore, her skin looked flawless and he wondered if the skin on her legs was as soft as her hands. Her shirt hugged her torso showing enough of her curvaceous figure to make any red blooded male want to run their hands along them and the low cut neck of the shirt showed a tantalising amount of voluptuous cleavage without being indecent. She was truly stunning and Sesshoumaru had been well aware of the looks men had been giving her before she had seated herself in the car. He had received envious looks when he slipped in beside her and could only roll his eyes skyward wishing that what the people present thought of them was true. She was his client and at the moment, it looked like nothing would develop from that, much to his disappointment.

"We've arrived," Sesshoumaru announced after a half hour drive.

"An orphanage?" Rin queried as she stood beside him near the entrance.

"You must be Mr Taisho!" an elderly woman exclaimed happily as she limped towards them. "And this lovely young lady is…?"

"Miss Rin Abe," Sesshoumaru replied politely. "She's the one I told you about."

"Ah, I see," the woman smiled and looked at Rin. "I'm Umeko. I own this orphanage. Please come inside."

"Why are we here?" Rin asked Sesshoumaru quietly as they followed the woman into a building where children were running around playing.

"Mr Taisho told me of your problem," Umeko answered for him without turning around. "I'm fairly sure we can solve at least part of your problem today, Miss Abe."

Stunned by this statement, Rin looked at Sesshoumaru for confirmation, but he merely shrugged. Sighing, Rin knew that she was just going to have to wait and see what happened, but she didn't like surprises and this was going to be very much a surprise. They came to a stop in a quieter room where only a few children played quietly by themselves. Feeling a hand on her elbow, Rin allowed Umeko to guide her towards a low chair near the back of the room without complaint and looked around curiously when Sesshoumaru chose to sit opposite her beside Umeko. The elderly woman smiled at her and then got to her feet again, leaving the room momentarily.

"Miss Abe," Umeko called as she came into the room again with a bundle in her arms. "I'd like you to meet Istuki."

The woman took a seat beside Rin and showed her that the bundle was a child who wrinkled his nose when he heard his name. Rin was stunned and confused beyond words as she stared at the child. He had only two front teeth and a mop of dark hair on his head the stuck out at odd angles. There was no doubting that he was one of the cutest babies she had ever seen, but she failed to see what this had to do with her. She hoped that Sesshoumaru hadn't put her name down for adopting a child and especially not this one. Panic began to settle in and her breathing quickened as quickly as her heart rate until she was pale and staring at the child as though it was a ticking time bomb that she wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

"Don't panic," Sesshoumaru's deep voice instructed from behind her as one of his hands landed on her shoulder gently. "Remember what we talked about."

"Why don't you make some tea?" Umeko suggested, looking up at the tall man hopefully.

Rin almost laughed when Sesshoumaru disappeared in search of the kitchen to do as the woman asked. That certainly seemed out of character, but it was quite endearing as well. Her eyes turned back to the wriggling child in Umeko's arms who seemed to be making a desperate bid for freedom but failing miserably.

"Give me your hand," Umeko said quietly.

After a moment's hesitation, Rin offered the older woman her hand but was unable to stop her flinch as the woman took it in a firm grip. When the woman sensed that Rin had calmed herself, she tugged her hand gently and pulled it towards the child who almost immediately wrapped his tiny fingers around one of Rin's. She stared at the little hand that held her finger and couldn't believe that she had distanced herself from people so much. When her best friend had had her first child, Rin had shied away from holding it or even approaching it, but now she realised how big a mistake she had made.

"Sesshoumaru tells me you're also an orphan," Umeko said quietly, watching the expression on Rin's face turn from shock to adoration for the small child.

"I am."

"How old were you when it happened?"

"Eight."

Umeko nodded but decided not to push the subject further, knowing that it was a delicate subject even for those who thought themselves over the incident. She couldn't help but smile at the younger woman beside her as she lifted her other hand to caress the baby's soft cheek. Umeko shifted slightly and looked at Rin with a grin.

"Would you like to hold him?"

Rin gaped. "I couldn't possibly! I-I'd drop him or something," she muttered, blushing furiously.

"You won't."

Rin was given no further chance to protest as the child was placed in her arms and Umeko showed her how to hold him right. Sesshoumaru returned moments later only to pause in the doorway in surprise. The idea of coming here today had been to get her to do something other than shake hands and a baby had been the perfect idea for bodily contact. He hadn't thought that she would have held the child so soon after arriving, especially after her earlier reaction to the boy, but yet again, Rin surprised him. As Sesshoumaru approached with the tea, she was sitting calmly on the chair where he left her with the dark haired child in her arms, one of its tiny hands clasped around one of her delicate fingers. For a moment he was jealous of the way the child was cradled against her voluptuous chest, but quickly told himself that he should know better than to be jealous of a child. It was truly a sight to behold and he suddenly wished he had a camera, but decided that the image would stay in his head for a long time. Rin looked up with a broad smile as he placed her tea on the table beside her and he nodded encouragingly before sitting down opposite her beside Umeko.

The pair watched the young woman talk quietly to the child and play with him until he was smiling and laughing. It was hard to believe that this was the same Rin Abe who had come to his office a month ago fearing everyone. She had come so far and Sesshoumaru felt yet another rush of pride over her new achievement. His attention was drawn away from the scene when Umeko leaned towards him slightly.

"She'll make a good mother," the elderly woman whispered from behind her hand.

Sesshoumaru sat back and stared at the woman in surprise, not sure what she had meant by that. One look at Rin would tell anyone that she would be a good mother, but he was puzzled by why Umeko was telling him this. Raising an eyebrow slightly, he was about to turn away to watch Rin again when he felt a bony shoulder nudge his own.

"Don't hesitate, boy," Umeko murmured. "She may look happy, but she's still vulnerable. Give her the support she needs and you will be pleased with the outcome."

"That sounds like something you'd find in your horoscope," Sesshoumaru muttered.

"Do you want her or not?" the elderly woman demanded, glaring at him. "Don't question how advice sounds and accept it politely."

"I'll take the advice, but I'll blame you if it fails."

Umeko chuckled at Sesshoumaru's empty threat and looked at Rin again who looked up at the same time. She smiled at the pair, not entirely sure why the elderly woman had a smug smile on her face or why Sesshoumaru looked thoughtful, but decided not to dwell on the thoughts too much. She offered the now sleeping child to Umeko who left them alone as she disappeared to put the child to bed. Rin looked at Sesshoumaru who was watching her with an amused expression and grinned at him.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was several hours when Rin was standing in front of Sesshoumaru's car beside the man himself, thanking Umeko profusely for the afternoon. The woman had waved away her thanks and had eventually left them alone outside the orphanage. Rin smiled as she thought over the day's events again and felt pleased that she hadn't disappointed Sesshoumaru. She turned to look at him as his name floated through her mind and grinned again when he looked down at her with a mildly curious look. Acting on impulse she launched herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she giggled happily, not aware of how big a step she had unknowingly taken at that moment.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he felt her body come into contact with his and he felt her soft breasts press into his chest. For a moment he stood still, not sure what to do. On the one hand he could return her embrace and risk her panicking when she realised what she had done or he could simply stand there and risk upsetting her. There didn't seem to be much chance of success, but as he weighed his options carefully, he knew that his best chance was risking the panic. He knew how to deal with panic; tears were something he had no idea how to handle. Taking a deep breath and praying for the best, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around Rin's slim waist, holding her in place.

The moment Rin had felt her body touch Sesshoumaru's she realised that she had taken an enormous leap forward and that it should scare her, but for reasons she couldn't even begin to understand, she wasn't afraid of the consequences of what she had just done. There was a point where she was certain she had overstepped the boundaries and was about to pull away and apologise when she felt strong arms wrap around her. Slowly, Rin leaned back and loosened her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, trying to find a clue as to what he was thinking. When she found none, she pouted slightly and started to step away but was pulled back against Sesshoumaru's chest abruptly and she could do nothing but gasp in surprise.

"You've done well today," Sesshoumaru murmured as he ran a hand up and down her back soothingly. "I'm proud of you."

Stunned by the most encouraging statement she had ever heard from the stoic man, Rin stood stock still in confusion. She was surprised that she was not trying to run away as she normally was when touched by someone, but she supposed that she trusted Sesshoumaru enough for that to not be a problem anymore. He was proud of her! Rin felt like she could burst in happiness as the words repeated echoed in her head. Suddenly, she didn't want to moment to end and sighed happily as she leaned into his embrace. Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as he felt her relax against him and tightened his arms around her waist, but after what seemed like too short a time, he stepped back and gave her a fleeting smile.

"Shall we go?"

Nodding dumbly, Rin slid into the passenger seat and looked out the window as the travelled in silence, trying to make sense of her emotions and thoughts. She had just taken a leap forward without even thinking about it and she was pleased, but slightly scared of what it meant for the future. If she was making such good progress, there would soon be no more reason to go to see Sesshoumaru twice a week and then eventually there would be no need to see him at all and somehow, the thought of not having that routine in her life left an empty hole she didn't know if she could fill. This was Sesshoumaru she was thinking about and he was her psychiatrist, nothing more and nothing less. He would probably think her strange if she were to say that she would miss coming to visit him, after all, she initially hadn't given the impression that she wanted to be there and saying that she was sorry to be leaving would be contradictory, but she didn't care. It was unlikely that she was going to voice her thoughts to the quiet man, but she didn't feel right just leaving everything as it was. It felt awkward.

"Would you like me to give you a lift home?" Sesshoumaru asked after the silence became almost unbearable.

Rin frowned. "No thank you. My room mate's partner came over and so I was going to give them some privacy."

"What will you do?"

"I'm sure I can find something to occupy me a couple of hours before going home," Rin replied with a vague smile as she tried to decide what to do.

Sesshoumaru looked at her thoughtful expression and wondered what she was thinking. He was honestly glad that she had declined his offer to take her home as he didn't want to end the afternoon without at least talking about what had happened that day. She had made two large steps in the right direction that seemed fine with, but it was better to ask and find out for certain.

"Would you like to get something to eat then?" Sesshoumaru asked casually, hoping that she wouldn't turn him down.

Rin stared at him in surprise for a moment before smiling. "That sounds good."

Without replying, Sesshoumaru turned into the car park that stood beside a decent looking restaurant nearby. Rin looked a little startled at the sudden stop, but smiled again as she stepped out of the car and made her way inside with him. She sighed softly and leaned back in her seat as they waited for their food to arrive.

"How do you feel about what happened today?" Sesshoumaru started the conversation and waited with bated breath for her answer.

"Fine, but a little confused," Rin admitted with a slight blush.

"About what?"

"Why did I panic when I saw the baby but not when I touched you? I don't understand."

"Perhaps it was because you knew the child would be dependant on you?"

"Maybe," Rin thought it over and shrugged. "I surprised myself."

Rin met Sesshoumaru's gaze and held it, not sure what she was looking for as she searched his eyes, but she was slightly disappointed when she found nothing. She bit her lip and looked down as wondered what to think about the silver haired man. Sesshoumaru frowned as he watched her bite her lip and shook his head slightly, she didn't seem to have learnt from the time she caused it to bleed. Deciding to do as Rin had done earlier; he acted on impulse and lifted a hand to tap her nose gently. She looked up in surprise and stared at him.

"You shouldn't do that," he admonished her.

"Do what?"

"Bite your lip."

"Oh."

The pair stared at each other for a moment, lost in the moment and each other's eyes. Throwing caution to the wind, Sesshoumaru let his hand drop to caress her cheek gently as she looked at him with a bemused expression. After a brief pause, Rin smiled and lifted her hand hesitantly to touch the hand against her cheek. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Sesshoumaru smirked as he threaded their fingers together and lowered his hand to the table that sat between them.

"You're definitely getting better with physical contact," Sesshoumaru said quietly and looked pointedly at their linked hands.

"Only if it's you," Rin admitted with a blush as she kept her gaze on the table.

Startled by her admission, Sesshoumaru stared at Rin for a moment, completely at a loss for what to say. He had wondered if she was joking, but there had been no trace of humour in her voice and as he watched her, Sesshoumaru realised that she was serious. Briefly, he wondered when the patient/psychiatrist line had become blurred, but decided that he didn't care. Tightening the hold he had on her hand, Sesshoumaru was about to speak when Rin spoke again, taking him by surprise.

"I still can't bear it when people touch me," Rin admitted and refused to let go of his hand when he started to pull it away. "It feels like nothing and everything has changed, if that makes sense?"

"It makes no sense," Sesshoumaru deadpanned, staring at her in utter confusion.

"When I'm on my own and someone touches me, I still feel the same way I did before, but it's different if you're there. I can do it if you're with me and it doesn't bother me as much. I guess that's not really very much use though," she murmured, looking down at the table sheepishly.

"That depends on how you look at it."

"How does that make a difference?"

"It makes a difference because it means that I can keep your touches to myself," Sesshoumaru stated firmly, deciding that it was best to just say how he felt.

Rin stared at him, not sure if he was joking or if he was being serious. That statement need a response, but her mind seemed to have shut down and her mouth seemed to have stopped working leaving her with little choice but to stare at him until the words sank in. Seeming to understand that she was at a loss for words, Sesshoumaru merely suggested they leave and walked silently out of the restaurant beside her as he waited for her to find her voice again.

Much to her surprise, Rin found herself walking up the steps that led to the building which housed Sesshoumaru's office as she followed him. Looking over her shoulder, she realised that the restaurant had only been a short walk down the road and wondered how she had missed that fact. She stood quietly beside Sesshoumaru as he unlocked the door and ushered her inside the building and towards his office. Sinking into her usual chair, Rin looked up when Sesshoumaru's voice drifted across the desk to her.

"Miss Abe…"

"Rin," she interrupted with a smile. "Miss Abe makes me feel old."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I understand that what I said in the restaurant may have surprised you and was very unprofessional, but…"

A dismissive wave cut him off halfway through the apology he had planned on the walk to the office as he worried that he had scared her or offended her somehow. Sesshoumaru paused as he watched a slow smile spread across her lips and felt his breath hitch in his throat at the beauty of it. Rin leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs elegantly as she regarded him, her smile still in place.

"Don't apologise, I know that's what you were planning," she said quietly. "I'm not offended just surprised I suppose, but if you want to keep my touches to yourself, I have no intention of arguing although I can't understand why you would want that."

It was now his turn to stare at her in surprise and when her words registered in his mind, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and sat in the chair beside her own, taking her hands in one of his as he caressed her cheek again. Rin smiled and leaned into his touch, not understanding what it was about this man that comforted her so.

"You can't understand?" Sesshoumaru murmured as he looked at her with a vague smile. "Your skin looks like porcelain and feels like satin. You don't know what it was like when you hugged me earlier. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven."

"Very cliché," Rin whispered with a smile as she lifted a hand hesitantly and gently ran it through his hair. "But I like it."

"Sickeningly cliché," he agreed and mimicked her movements by running his own hand through her hair. "I suppose Umeko was right."

"About what?"

"You still being vulnerable."

"I was never vulnerable," Rin said with a pout, crossing her arms as she attempted to look offended, but failed.

"You were so vulnerable that it made my heart ache," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk as his fingers curled around the back of her neck and drew her closer.

"I'm sorry," she teased, her lips curving enticingly. "I didn't mean to make your heart ache."

Sesshoumaru smirk grew at her teasing and the distance between them slowly closed until their noses touched and he paused to look at her seriously. It was one thing to hug someone, but a different thing entirely to kiss them and right now, her lips looked so inviting that he had difficulty not just leaning in and taking what he knew was her first kiss. Rin saw the concern in his eyes and smiled again. She trusted him so implicitly that whatever nervousness she felt evaporated as the knowledge of what was going to happen next filled her mind. Knowing of his concern, Rin turned in her seat to face him and slipped her arms over his shoulders and grinned.

Her grin put him at ease and Sesshoumaru smiled vaguely in response as he closed with gap between them, pressing his lips against hers gently. Rin was stiff for a moment but seemed to melt against him as she felt his tongue trace the seam of her lips. Sighing softly, she allowed herself to be pulled against Sesshoumaru's chest as he wrapped his arms around her and tilted her head back as she opened her mouth to him. Rin wrapped her arms around his neck as she allowed sensations to take over her body, not trying to understand the emotions she was feeling. When they parted, Sesshoumaru almost smiled at the look of wonder on Rin's face as she looked back at him with wide eyes. Pressing a chaste kiss against her lips, he pulled her forward and smiled to himself as he felt her bury her face in his shoulder.

"Can I stay like this forever?" Rin asked with a quiet sigh.

"Only if I can keep your touches to myself," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk as he ran his hand up and down her back again.

"I can agree to that."

Rin grinned up at him as she spoke and Sesshoumaru shook his head at her, knowing that he was going to have to get used to her teasing. Her smile fell from her face after a moment as the pair looked at each other. Sesshoumaru gave her a smile as he leaned down to seal their agreement with a passionate kiss that left her breathless. She smiled into the kiss as she thought about the events that led her to where she was now. Who would've thought that such an irrational fear could have brought her such happiness and with her psychiatrist no less? As she surrendered herself to the sensations he was evoking within her, Rin couldn't wait to find out what the future had in store for them.


End file.
